THE FARMER IN THE BELL

They never made it to see Alex. It might have made a big difference in how it went down if they had, but that is how these things go some days. Deakins was still on the phone with his mysterious call when the phone rang at Bobbys desk. "Goren." He answered it. "Now? We're as ready as we can be. We'll be right there." He hung up the phone and eyed the other two. "It looks like there isn't time to get any readier than we are now. That was Thomas. It's going down in 30 minutes in the Blue Bell. They want us down in the van now."

"Is this the normal routine?" Karen asked in a choked voice.

"There isn't anything normal about this." Bobby told her. He grabbed his jacket.

Jerry gestured for Karen to precede him out of the room. "She's not ready. She hasn't even had time to change into other clothes….."

Bobby glanced down at Karens jeans, boots and blouse. "I don't think what she is wearing is going to matter much, but she looks like she's from the country now."

"That's because I am, you big ape." Karen spoke sharply to him.

Bobby grinned at her. She made a face at him.

Thomas and Osborn were waiting impatiently by the van. "It's about time. Let's go."

All three made to climb in. "Wait a minute. All of you can't fit in here. She goes and you two have to find your own way there." Osborn barred their way.

Jerry was still angry and he bristled at the man. "If we don't go, neither does she."

Osborn had the sense to be concerned for his health. "You can't go. We don't have a way to keep you undercover."

"I'm her boyfriend. We're going to be married as soon as she's a widow." Jerry grabbed Karen about the shoulders with a familiarity that made Karen grit her teeth.

"Remind me to remove that arm after this is over." She growled at him and put her arm around his waist smiling pleasantly at the two vice cops.

Jerry smiled and reached over to kiss her hair. "Anything you say, dear."

"It won't work." Thomas said tightly.

"I told you. If he doesn't go, neither do I. And we don't have time to argue about it. Are we doing this or not?"

Osborn swore loudly and gestured toward the van. "Get in, but you have to stay here." He told Goren.

Karen glanced worriedly at him. He smiled. "I'll be there. Don't worry." He told her. The four jumped in the van and they pealed away. Bobby had begun to get an awful gut feeling about this whole thing. He made the best time to his vehicle ever, pulling out his cell phone. He dialed the captains private line, but it was busy. Who else could he call? He had a sneaking suspicion that these two were dirty and they were going to use Karen and Jerry as fall guys. He knew better than to ignore his gut instinct.

The captains line was still busy. He jerked the door of the SUV open and climbed in. He couldn't call Alex. She'd try to help, and she wasn't able to. Out of frustration, he dialed the phone number he swore he would use only in the most dire emergency for another two days.

"Speak to me." Mike Logan's voice sounded immediately.

"There's big trouble. I said I wouldn't call you, but I need you." Bobby gritted out at him.

"There must be. We're just back from our honeymoon man, and if I get killed Caro is going to be really pissed at you."

"I know, but, Mike, something's dirty here and I don't know who else to trust."

"What about Deakins?"

"His line is busy."

"You owe us. Tell me where."

Bobby explained as best he could while driving like a mad man and juggling the cell phone. The Blue Bell was across town in heavy traffic.

Osborn and Thomas were busy trying to feed Karen the lines they had planned for her to use. They also wanted her to wear a totally inappropriate blouse. She planted her arms across her chest and glared. The blouse was low cut with lace around the plunging neckline. "I'm not Daisy Duke and I won't wear that." She told them obstinately.

"Look, we realize you have more…uh, up front than the other woman had, but…"

"Watch your mouth, buster." Jerry told him.

"Never mind the blouse." Thomas told his partner. "Here are the things we need him to say. Read them and get him to say them. We need these things specifically."

Karen took the paper and read it. "I can see him admitting these things, but I'm not going to go by this sheet. This was written by a 12 year old, a very stupid one. Are you trying to get me killed?"

"No, we're trying to catch a cop gone bad. That's what you should be doing too." Thomas said.

"You're not going to be able to take your piece in with you. You're supposed to be a farmers wife, someone who stands to gain a great deal of money when your husband is killed." Osborn told her. "We'll be out here listening in case something goes wrong. We'll be inside in minutes."

"The farmers wife in the Bell." She made her voice soft and sultry "I want to hear the words faster than greased lightning, sugar." she drawled at him.

"That's a good accent." He responded. "Use that."

"If I use that accent, I'd have to shoot myself. That is totally phony. What is my background so far?"

"You're from a small town in Illinois. You own a large ranch where you raise cows and sell milk. Your husband has been neglecting you for the farm and you're sick of it. You and loverboy here want your husband dead so you can sell the land to a developer. You need it to look like an accident so the insurance will pay off. You'll make it worth his while."

"That's kind of weak." Jerry put in.

"It has to be natural. All you have to do is remember the basics and make the rest up as you go." Thomas said. "We'll be right out here. Now, Wilkes, since Wesson won't be able to go in armed you'll have to stick right with her in case things go wrong. The cop we're after is very suspicious. He's liable to challenge you being there. It wasn't part of the original sting plan for you to be there. Don't let him separate you just in case. At the first sign of trouble get her out."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Talk to me. I'm still here, you know. I can get myself out of trouble." Karen told him sharply. "So far as him being there, it'll be a last minute he wouldn't let me come if he couldn't come with me. 'He doesn't trust me with other men.' Kind of thing."

Thomas eyed her seriously. "If you couldn't take care of yourself, you wouldn't be here, but he's a bigger target and they'll be looking for trouble from him, not necessarily you."

Karen had to admit the logic of that. "They'll probably try to frisk him, too."

"I would and I'll bet that they will." Thomas nodded wisely.

The van was beginning to slow and it felt like they were nearing the destination. Karen glanced at Jerry and met the concerned look he was giving her. It was almost show time. The time had come to test out the acting that would determine if they lived through the next few hours. "I wish Goren was here." Jerry said.

"Ditto for Alex." Karen agreed.

"Damn! How the hell did he beat us here?" Osborn growled.

"Who?" Thomas demanded.

"Goren and some other guy. They're over there. They're too well known. He'll make them. Son-of-a……"

"It can't be changed now. Just pretend they're not part of this and maybe we can pull this off." Osborn advised.

"He's coming over to us. What kind of bone-headed moron is he? I thought he was supposed to be such a hotshot cop."

"I guess he doesn't think much of your experience." Jerry told them coldly. "I trust him to have our backs."

He got dirty looks from both Thomas and Osborn. "Let them in before they're seen. I don't see Springers car so maybe we're in luck." Osborn scowled at Thomas.

The van was tight with more people inside it. It was doubly cramped with a man Gorens size inside. Everyone glared at the newcomers who glared right back. "You didn't have to come. We have it all under control." Thomas told them.

Bobby glared at him. "We are part of a team. Where they go we go. Get used to it."

"He wasn't even in the squad room." Osborn indicated Logan

"I'm Eames stand in." the unknown man said, sarcastically. "She just looks better in a dress."

"Mike Logan, also from Major Case. Mike, this is Karen Wesson and Jerry Wilkes."

"So you're the infamous Mike Logan. Nice to meet you." Karen grinned at the man.

Jerry nodded in greeting. "What lies have you told her?" Logan returned Jerry's nod and glared at Bobby.

"He didn't have to say a word. Your reputation precedes you." Karen told him.

"Enough. We need to keep a focus on our objective. Keep quiet or get out. You two, put your weapons down here." He told Karen and Jerry. "We need to get into the bar without making a big scene."

Bobby was watching Osborn with a quiet intensity that was making the man very uncomfortable. Mike looked from him to Osborn and back. He'd been around Bobby enough to know he was putting things together that no one else had noticed. "What's up, big guy?" he asked.

Bobby shook his head. "N-Nothing." But there was, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

A cell phone rang. Both Mike and Bobby reached for theirs. "It's mine. It's John." Bobby told Mike. "John, I'm kind of in the middle of…..When? I'll be right there. Tell her I'm on the way." He snapped the phone closed and reached for the door.

"You can't go out now. You'll blow our cover." Osborn put a restraining hand on Bobbys.

Bobby reached out and pulled the mans hand off of his without making any effort to go easy on the force of the gesture. "My wife just went into premature labor. I'm going. And you aren't going to stop me."

"Your wife is a cop. She knows what goes on. It could be hours before she delivers. We've been working on this for months." Thomas said said reasonably.

"Your sting doesn't mean anything to me. My wife needs me." Bobby informed him with enough malice to make his point perfectly clear.

Osborn told Bobby, darkly. "We can't let you leave."

"You can't stop me." Bobby told him including Thomas in his look.

Osborn reached for his piece. Jerry and Mike had theirs out in an instant, aimed one at Thomas and one at Osborn. "He's going to the hospital." Mike told him after a grateful look at Jerry.

Osborn settled back on his seat and eyed the two gunmen. "We're trying to make sure this cop goes down for the good of the service. I would think your wife would understand that." He said.

"My wife could be dying. I don't think she cares overmuch right now about the service. Just sit still and I won't make a scene when I leave." Bobby replied icily.

"You can't go." Thomas said.

Karen reached over and lowered Jerrys gun hand down so the gun was aimed at Thomas thigh. "Either he goes on his own now, or he goes with an injured officer under arrest. Either way he's going to the hospital. The choice is yours."

Osborn opened his mouth to protest. Thomas' eyes were wide. "Shut up, Osborn." He told his partner hastily. "Let him out."

"Want me to go with you, Bobby? Or stay here and watch what's going on here?"

Bobby glanced around at the set up and shook his head. "You better stay. I need someone to keep an eye on things here." His meaning was very clear.

No one tried to stop him as he exited the van again. Logan lowered his weapon and leveled a look at the two Vice cops. "Let's get this show on the road. That's my God-child being born and I'd like to be there."

Jerry lowered his weapon as well, but didn't put it back on the counter.

Thomas swallowed a large lump in his throat. "Well, the man you are meeting is Ted Falu. He's blond, five foot six with a huge chip on his shoulder. He hates everyone equally and he'll probably give you a lot of flack for not coming alone. We couldn't reschedule this because the only way to contact him is to put a letter in a box in a garbage can. If he gives you a hard time make like you're going to leave. He's a greedy man and he's looking for a big payoff. He'll ask for more than the 25,000 you will have, but you tell him that that's all you can raise. Once the deal is made, give him these directions and leave. As soon as you're in the clear, we'll move in."

"Where are they supposed to sit? Did that get discussed?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"Anywhere is fine." Taylor seemed puzzled by the question.

Logan scowled and looked at the young couple. "Sit toward the back of the room near the door to the kitchen. I'll give you an extra exit if you need one and it'll be a straight shot from here for the electronic ear." He advised them.

Taylor seemed uneasy at Logans interference, but that didn't bother the stern faced veteran. He looked quite capable of handling anything thrown his way.

"It's time for them to go." Osborn said.

Jerry handed his gun to Logan instead of putting it on the counter next to Karens. She reached over and took hers, handing it to him as well. Logan seemed surprised at this show of trust, but he accepted the guns, checked the safety's on them and placed them one on each side in his belt. Getting shot now would be a lot less painful than trying to explain to his new wife about how it happened.

The young couple climbed out of the van and walked acrossed the street into the Blue Bell. Jerry remembered Karen telling him that she was inexperienced at being in a bar so he took the lead. Surprisingly, she let him.

There were very few patrons in this bar at this hour. Soon, happy hour would begin and that would change. Jerry chose the back of the bar at Logans suggestion. He put them both on the same side of the booth facing the door. "I wish we'd been able to keep our pieces." Karen told him.

"So do I. I wish Bobby hadn't had to go to the hospital right this minute, too."

"I'll bet Alex feels the same way." Karen told him crisply.

"You and she really seem to hit it off." He commented.

"I could really get used to being in the same squad as she is. We're so much alike it's almost like having a sister. I'm going to miss having her to ask questions of when we go to our own precinct."

"There's always the phone."

"It's not the same. Do you have any brothers or sisters, Jerry?"

"I have four brothers. All older than I am."

"Are they in this business?"

"Sort of. One is a lawyer, in Virginia. One's a doctor, one is a…."

"Beggar man, thief or Indian Chief?" Karen teased.

"Don't give him any ideas. One is a licensed contractor and one is a truck driver. He's the black sheep of the family."

"Because he drives a truck?"

"No, because he wouldn't go into the family business and haul freight for the family farm. Dad wanted us to all stay in the family corporation so we could present a united front if we got into a jam. For instance we were sued, then Frank would take it, if Frank got hurt then Red could treat him while he sued the one who did it. Like that."

"And where did you being a detective fit in?"

"If Dad gets killed or swindled I'm supposed to find out who did it."

"So he was raising a corporation, not a family."

"Something like that."

"And what did your mom think of that idea?"

"Mom died when I was two. I have no idea. Frank, he's the oldest, seems to think she'd be having a cow right about now. He can remember her cooking and cleaning, always humming, she was a happy person he says. She got a little sadder every time one of us didn't turn out to be a girl. Dad was just as happy we were boys and said that women were weaker and he needed strong sons more than pretty little girls anyway."

"So you're father was the one who made you believe that women are somehow the weaker sex? What a neanderthal. You'll have to take me to meet this caveman sometime."

"Are you sure you want to meet him? He can be quite old fashioned."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure." Karen nodded.

Jerry eyed her, uneasily. She sounded too eager. That made him wary. "Maybe after we're…." He began.

"Are you Rebecca?" A thin, blond man came up to the table. He sat down without being asked. He eyed them with a cold calculating expression.

"No. You must have me confused with someone else." Karen told him.

"My mistake. I was told that Rebecca would be here…"

"If your name is Shamu or something like that then that's me."

The man sank down on the bench hesitantly. "And if it is?"

"Then I'm Rebecca."

The man glared at her. "You just said you weren't. Don't play games with me, lady."

Karen leaned forward and glared right back at him. "Do you think that because I came from a Dairy Farm in Illinois that I'm stupid enough to give my name to God only knows who, Mr. Shamu? Give me a break. I guess you're not the man I heard of. Now if you'd move along, I'm waiting for someone important. Now as we were saying…." Karen turned back to her partner.

"The name's Fabu, Not Shamu." The man told her through gritted teeth. "I was told this is where to meet you. I don't usually come here, but I made an exception for you."

"If you don't usually come here, then why did you come out through the kitchen without anyone saying something? I don't think I'd trust you to take care of my cat. Let's go, Barry." Karen nudged Jerry's side.

"Wait. Alright, you're right. I was told you needed something done and you'd be willing to pay 35,000 for it."

"Your information is all wrong. If this is how you conduct your business, I want no part of it. You're going to get killed and then I'm out a chunk of money. Move, Barry, let's go somewhere where…."

"Relax, Lady. I'll take 30,000."

"I'm not paying above 25,000 for this work and that's when I'm satisfied that it has been done."

"I'm not a plumber, lady." Fabu told her sharply.

"And I'm not a fool. So tell me how you plan to do it?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I'm nosey. I'm paying a lot of money to have this done and done right. I want to know that you know what you're doing. Have you ever even been on a farm?"

"Don't worry about it, I've done it enough times to know how to make it look like an accident. Now where's my money?"

Jerry patted his jacket pocket. "Right here and here it'll stay until my darling tells me to give it to you." He spoke for the first time.

"Say, I thought you were supposed to be alone. Who is this guy? Are you trying to set me up?" Fabu scrambled to get out of the seat.

"This is my friend, Barry. As soon as I'm a free woman we're going to be married. You're awfully jumpy. Are you sure you're Fabu? I think you're putting us on. I think you're a ringer."

"No, I'm Fabu." The man answered, but he was nervous now. He was looking toward the kitchen.

With the instinct of cops everywhere both Karen and Jerry ducked when Osborn charged through the front door. "They're plants. Run!" he yelled wildly.

Immediately following him were Logan and Thomas. They tried to grab a hold of Osborn, but he was too quick. He was charging toward Karen and Jerry. Thomas pulled out his handgun, took aim and shot his partner in the back. Logan ran toward the kitchen with his gun drawn using the dubious cover of the thin wall between them as a shield. He drew even with Karen and Jerry, pulling out a gun and handing it to Jerry. "Let's go get him. Keep him here." He pulled Karens gun and sent it skidding across the table at her.

He and Jerry charged through the swining kitchen doors and Karen picked up her piece from the table and pointed it at the faux Fabu. "Just stay right there." She told him coldly.

Thomas came toward his former partner, still keeping the gun trained on him, but his aim had been good. Osborn was dead. The shot had been lucky, but it severed his spine. He would never get up. Thomas looked from the dead man to Karen holding a gun on the fake assassin. The man was shaking violently and sweating. He had eyes only for Karens gun.

"I didn't know he was dirty. My God, I had no idea he was mixed up in this." Thomas told her in a strangled voice.

"Who else knew? Who else could have known?"

"My captain, but he'd never be a part of something like this."

"But you never suspected him either. You better give me your gun." Karen suggested.

The front door of the bar opened and a handcuffed man was pushed through the door with Jerry and Mike Logan behind him. The man looked like he'd been tackling a 900 lb gorilla and loosing badly. Jerrys knuckles were pretty bloody. They forced the man into a chair near Osborns body and Mike Logan pulled out his cell phone. It rang before he could dial. "Logan."

There was a series of words from the cell phone, but no one could make them out from a distance. "We got it covered. You just worry about Alex and the baby. Yeah, I'm going to call him in right now. GOOD BYE, GOREN."

Mike hung up the phone and called Captain Deakins. Then he eyed the scene. "You two just might be as bad as Goren and Eames." He told the two younger detectives.

"Thanks." Jerry grinned at Karen. That was a high compliment.

Deakins came into the bar in the first wave of officers, IAB and CSU techs. He looked around the scene and sighed. "Another set of you, huh? A captains work is never done."

"Sorry, sir." Karen told him humbly.

"Never be sorry for doing the job you were hired to do. Logan, what are you still doing here? Aren't you still on your honeymoon?"

"That's what happens when you're married to a cop." He shrugged and grinned at his captain.

The clean up took much longer to do than the initial ruckus and it was well past midnight when they finally went home. Around 11:00 Mikes cell phone rang again. He answered it. "Logan. Really, congratulations. And everything's alright? Sure, I'll be happy to pass it on. You get some rest. G'Night." He closed the phone with a broad grin. "It's a girl and both mother and daughter are doing fine." They all were too tired to do more than grin at each other and go back to work.

TBC